Skip to main content

MINI REVIEW article

Front. Urol.
Sec. Female Urology
Volume 4 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fruro.2024.1487858

Urinary Tract Infection: Is it time for a new approach considering a gender perspective and new microbial advances?

Provisionally accepted
Maria J. González Maria J. González 1,2Luciana Robino Luciana Robino 3,4Pablo Zunino Pablo Zunino 2,5Paola Scavone Paola Scavone 1,2*
  • 1 Laboratorio de Biofilms Microbianos, Departamento de Microbiología, Montevideo, Uruguay
  • 2 Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Montevideo, Uruguay
  • 3 Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
  • 4 Unidad Académica de Bacteriología y Virología, Montevideo, Uruguay
  • 5 Departamento de Microbiología, Montevideo, Uruguay

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections in humans, particularly affecting women, with significant clinical and socioeconomic impacts. Despite advances in medical research, the diagnostic criteria for UTI have remained practically unchanged since Kass's seminal work, emphasizing the need for a reevaluation in light of new scientific insights. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of the urobiome, a previously underappreciated community of microorganisms within the urinary tract (UT), and its role in maintaining urogenital health. The gut-bladder axis has emerged as a critical pathway in understanding UTI as a dysbiosis, where imbalances in the microbial community and its relation with the host contribute to infection susceptibility. This review explores the evolving definitions and diagnostic challenges of UTI, particularly in women, and examines the implications of recent discoveries on the urobiome and the gut-bladder axis. Additionally, we discuss the potential of novel therapeutic strategies to restore microbial balance, offering a promising avenue for the therapeutic management of UTIs.Urinary tract infections (UTI), traditionally defined as conditions in which bacteria invade and grow in the UT, whether in the bladder, prostate, ureters, or kidneys (1), are the most common and frequent infections, mainly affecting young women. Approximately 50% of all women and 12% of men and children (2,3,4) will have an episode of UTI in their lifetime; hence, the magnitude of these types of infections is

    Keywords: Urinary tract infection, definition, diagnosis, urobiome, Women

    Received: 29 Aug 2024; Accepted: 03 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 González, Robino, Zunino and Scavone. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Paola Scavone, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Montevideo, Uruguay

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.